


Unnatural Selection

by arkemisia



Series: Past Enduring [4]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Kinda, Post-Game(s), Siren Rhys, will add tags as necessary - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 04:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13069398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arkemisia/pseuds/arkemisia
Summary: After escaping the Vault of the Traveler and the chaos that ensues, Rhys, Vaughn, Fiona, and Sasha work together to hit their stride as a fledgling group of Vault Hunters. But the eyes of Pandora are wide and wary, and their actions, accomplishments, and Rhys’ strange new abilities do not go unnoticed.When Felix sends a trio of notorious figures from Handsome Jack’s past after the unsuspecting group, they react the only way any sane person would: with complete and utter panic. Meanwhile, Rhys’ homicidal ex-girlfriend Stacey has joined forces with August, straining the alliance between his bandit gang and the Children of Helios. So... who are they most worried by?Everyone. They are worried by everyone.





	Unnatural Selection

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read the first 2 chaptered works of this series, _Something Strange_ and _Revolver Reloaded_ , I strongly suggest you at least read _Something Strange_ as it explores the Vault of the Traveler, how Rhys  & Fiona escaped it, and what happens after. So if you haven't read that you're gonna be real confused. _Revolver Reloaded_ deals with Stacey's backstory, and how she came back into the narrative. _Lady Killer_ is a much smaller piece that bridges the gap between _Revolver Reloaded_ and this piece.

A rakk picked at its motley skin as it hung from a spindly tree lodged in a outcropping on one of the several sheer cliffs and rock features littering the Pandoran landscape.  Looking back up it tilted its head at a small group of other rakks, swooping and diving at something on the floor of the pass nearby, home to an abandoned two story shack.

The air crackled and buzzed and the rakk tilted its head the other way, shivering off the odd sensation. But a loud CRACK and a flash of light like a lightning bolt snaking down from the clear sky into the ravine sent  the rakk into the air, wings flapping furiously as it flew off to find a quieter resting place.

The rakks below didn't have that option, however. They hung twitching in the air, violet sparks and trails of electricity dancing between them, as Rhys crouched amongst them, teeth gritted and glowing with the vibrant violet light pouring out of him. Searing heat rolled off of him, steam from the white hot tattoo like cracks radiating from the port in his temple, scrawling all the way down his face and side as if carved in stone.

The snap of sniper rifle fire tore through the air and one of the rakks seized in a burst of blood before ceasing to squirm. 

A pause, another shot, and another spattering of mist. 

With the last of the rakks in his field of view downed, Rhys let go of the breath he’d been holding and took a ragged gasp of precious, if acrid, ozone tasting air, filling his empty lungs as the electricity around him dissipated. The rakks fell to the ground around him, the static prickling in the air the only remains of the power manifested not seconds before. He straightened up and reassessed the battlefield.

Several skags remained, initially scattered by the violet white light and tingle in the air, they returned with the fury custom of Pandora. Nearby Fiona aimed her derringer at a pair of them who paused to stare her down, while two others peeled off. One leapt through the murky stream on one side of the dilapidated shack where Sasha waited on the second level, while Vaughn aimed from his spot on the roof.

And the last skag pounced upon Rhys almost before he saw it. It pushed him sideways and into the creek as he struggled to pull out the stun baton from its holster at his back. He squirmed and splashed as the skag snapped at him. With a triumphant laugh Rhys finally whipped out the stun baton, only for the monster to clamp its fangs down on it, eliciting a half frustrated half fearful groan.

“Oh come on!” he yelped.

“I'm reloading!” Vaughn called from his perch while Sasha unloaded into the skag on her level.

“Why can't we ever go anyplace nice?” Rhys wheezed through clenched teeth, mirroring the snarling jaws on the skag pinning him to the ground. Grunting, he let go briefly and punched with his metal fist, sending the monster staggering to the side and allowing him to yank the stun baton free. The skag turned back around and roared at him angrily, bits of spittle flying in his face. With a frantic cry, he energized the baton and thrust it forward - sending the beast flying backwards.

“What do you mean?” Fiona asked as the other two continued to approach her, pushing her closer to the edge of the road, which so happened to end in a steep crevice, the ravine yawning even deeper. The beasts moved to circle around her, though her steady backwards pace kept her out of reach. 

At least until her heel hit the edge and one of them lunged. She dove to the side and the skag went careening past her - and over the side into the chasm below. Rolling and bringing up her revolver she let the bullets fly into the open mouth of the other as it charged towards her, until finally it stumbled and dove, sliding into a motionless pile at her feet.

“All clear,” Vaughn declared from his perch above them.

“The view’s to die for,” Fiona said, straightening her hat and leaning a bit to look over the edge with a smirk. Rhys didn't restrain the groan as he stood up, the water dripping from his clothes. Sasha dropped down from the ledge above him and into the creek running alongside the road, splashing more of the water onto him.  He sidestepped with a startled yelp as Sasha sprinted to investigate one of the downed skags with a brief apology and a smiling wink. “And don't forget the water feature,” Fiona added and Rhys glared.

“Ha, ha,” Rhys replied stiltedly. “I mean someplace  _ nice -  _ like a real town with restaurants and shops that don't sell skag meat and stuff scavenged off corpses,” he said with no small amount of aggravation in his voice as he shook his wet pant legs. Fiona stared at him blankly as she deliberately picked up some ammo from the ground.

“Beggars can't be choosers, Rhys,” Sasha said as she kicked the skag into its back. “This isn't Helios.”

“I know, but just - just for once I'd like us to find someplace that's like a beach or something. A nice, quiet, safe beach, with sand and gentle waves and drinks with those little umbrellas in them,” he said as he reached up and toggled his collar back on. Its lights flashed and flared back to life before silently settling into the familiar pattern of green and amber. Both sisters leveled him with identical, skeptical looks under arched brows and Vaughn scrambled down from the roof to join them.

“I don't think they have any of those here, bro,” he said, clapping him on the back as he passed.

“Why would you put an umbrella in a drink?” Sasha asked, shifting on her feet. Rhys stashed his baton away and brought his hands up, gesturing vaguely.

“It's just a little - bit of tropical - you know - it's fun - cute, you know?” he tried to explain but quickly let his hands drop. “Never mind. But do you seriously mean to tell me there isn't a single beach on this planet that's nice and safe?”

“There isn't a single  _ place _ on this planet that's safe, Mister Roboto,” Sasha replied. “Drinks with tiny umbrellas aside.”

“Well, there should be,” Rhys groaned as Fiona and Sasha returned to the shack and started searching it.

“That wasn't too bad though,” Vaughn said, his sniper rifle slung behind his back, turning back towards his best friend.

“Yea…” Rhys said, flexing his metal fingers, inspecting them for damage. “I guess.” 

“Hey, in here,” Fiona called and the others joined her. She motioned under a lopsided table and collectively the group tilted their heads to gaze underneath and spotted the small Vault symbol. 

“Oh cool,” Vaughn said, kneeling before it. 

“Who even puts these everywhere?” Rhys wondered and Fiona shrugged. 

“Lotta weird people down here, cults, bandits, former fancy pants,” she said with a smirk crinkling her nose at the end. Rhys rolled his eyes with a scoff.  

“Find anything else? A clue maybe?” Sasha asked as she circled the room, but her sister shook her head. “Damn,” Sasha said as she shut the door to an empty locker. 

“Oh well, guess we’d better keep moving and looking,” Vaughn said straightening up and the group left the building.

“I thought Vaults were supposed to be everywhere down here,” Rhys moaned as he hopped into the passenger seat of the buggy beside Sasha. 

“Just because they’re all over doesn’t mean they’re easy to find,” she pointed out as they got back on the road. “How far to the next waypoint?” she asked and Rhys brought up the map on his holographic display. 

“Not too far,” he replied. “We should get there before sundown - provided we don’t run into anything on the way.” 

“And now we’re jinxed,” Vaughn said from one of the backseats and Fiona laughed beside him. 

 

Some time later, the remaining rakk flapped its leathery wings, returning to the perch it had so rudely been startled from before. It glided toward the branch, but just before it reached it, a shot rang out and it gave one final indignant scrawk as it fell from the sky.

“Whaa - haa - okay,” the Handsome Jack lookalike exclaimed from where he’d hunched in his seat at the wheel of another vehicle. He straightened up and kept driving, throwing the blue clad baroness in the seat next to him a look. “A little warning next time. Please?” Timothy asked but Aurelia simply smiled as she drew her sniper rifle back into a resting position. Nisha observed the exchange out from under the brim of her hat, feet propped up against the back of Timothy’s seat, before letting her hand, and the hat drop back down as she closed her eyes again.

“Besides, it’s not exactly discreet,” he added, returning his attention to the road. “I think we’re getting close.”  

  
  


Their buggy parked and stowed, the ragtag group of Vault Hunters ambled along the main drag of the small settlement with Fiona in the lead. A couple merchants still stood behind their stalls, hawking their wares - foodstuff and the like. Fiona stopped by one: a cart with large pieces of meat roasting on spits over coals.  

“Hey Rhys, gimme some money; I’m hungry,” Fiona said, holding out one of her hands with a smirk as Vaughn joined her. 

“What? Why can’t you pay for your own food?” he asked as he and Sasha pulled up to them. 

“Because I just spent all my money on bullets at the kiosks and  _ you _ don’t need to buy ammo. Gimme.”

“Just because I’m CEO doesn’t mean I’m made of money,” he retorted. 

“Aren’t gentlemen supposed to treat ladies offworld? Or is that not how it worked on Helios? Probably not, actually,” Sasha chimed in from his elbow, making him look from her sister to her and back. 

“Ugh, fine,” he gave in - only to return his attention to the vendor to see him handing Vaughn several orders. 

“What? We used to take turns covering Yvette all the time,” Vaughn replied at the questioning look the other three leveled him with. “I’m hungry and didn’t want to wait for you three to finish your verbal sparring match,” he said as he handed them each their food. “Besides, I have access to his bank accounts and know for a fact that I have more than he does right now.” 

“Hey, running a company is expensive,” Rhys protested as they found a quieter spot off to one side of the main drag. 

“Your  _ shoes _ are expensive,” Vaughn said with a snort and a mouth full of food.

“Yes, they are,” Rhys replied with a self-satisfied smirk and Sasha laughed before popping a chunk of sliced meat in her mouth.

“Of course,” she said. 

“Well now you’re paying for lodging tonight,” Fiona declared.

“How does that make sense?” Rhys asked but shook his head when she simply smirked at him. “Okay, okay,” he said, finishing off his food. “Let’s go find whatever passes for an inn here,” he said and led them further into the waystation. The sun had set by the time they’d found what appeared to be a hybrid bar-motel.  

“Um, excuse me? Hello there, good sir,” Rhys called as he leaned on the counter lining the back wall of the main room in the narrow building. Behind him Fiona rolled her eyes with a smile and Sasha covered half her face with her hand, as Vaughn trailed behind them, casting a wary eye around the room while they came up to join Rhys. The scarred woman behind the counter turned around to face them with a scrutinizing stare. “Ah, er, sorry ma’am,” Rhys quickly corrected. 

“You lost?” she asked and Rhys jerked back a bit, straightening. He laughed and tossed a look over his shoulder to the group behind him. 

“Why do people  _ always  _ ask me that?” he asked and Fiona waved him off as she brushed by him.

“Because you  _ look  _ lost,” she said before addressing the proprietor. “Sorry, you can take the guy out of the corporation but can’t take the corporation out of the guy, am I right?” she asked with a laugh. “Got any rooms?” The gruff woman behind the counter looked Fiona up and down before her gaze flicked back to Rhys and the rest of the crew. 

“I might,” she replied, wiping the counter top with a dirty rag. “What’d you say you do?” she asked. 

“We didn’t,” Fiona said, but with an eager grin continued. “But we’re Vault Hunters,” she stated.

“S’that right?” she asked and Rhys was shaking his head.

“Seriously,” Rhys whispered under his breath. “I swear, do bandits have a script or something that they all use? I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s just keep moving,” he said and Sasha put a hand on his elbow. 

“Rhys, chill,” she said. “Do you want to sleep on the ground again?” 

“I’d rather sleep on the ground than  _ under  _ ground, if you catch my drift,” Rhys hissed and Vaughn was looking back towards the door but saying nothing. 

“Something wrong with your friend?” the woman asked. 

“Don’t mind him. He’s not from around here and gets a bit jumpy; now about those rooms?” Fiona asked, pulling out some cash.  

“Only got one available,” she said, putting her hand on the cash and drawing it back to her. 

“How many’s it sleep?” Rhys asked. 

“As many as you make it,” was the response and Rhys huffed a little but didn’t reply as the scarred woman retrieved a key with a numbered tag on it from underneath the counter and handed it to Fiona.  “Up the stairs. Number’s on the door.”

“Sounds perfect; you’re a life-saver,” Fiona said and turned around to face the rest of the group. “See? Wasn’t so hard.” Rhys pouted at her. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the door behind them creaking open as well, drawing their attention. Only the doorway was empty and the door swung back shut with a clattering slam. 

“Huh,” Vaughn breathed. “That’s not creepy at all.” 

“Wind blows it open all the time,” the woman behind the bar counter said and Rhys briefly felt a tingling at the base of his skull. A sparking short encircled the port in his temple and sent a white hot pulse down his violet tattoos, making him flinch and his collar beep and buzz. The woman trained an appraising stare on him. “Neat trick.” 

“Yea, thanks,” Rhys replied, rubbing up under his collar for a moment and looking around before heading to the stairs with a sigh. The other three followed and soon enough they found the door with the matching number. Fiona unlocked it and pushed it open, crossing the threshold to reveal the small, dingy room. It had a crooked double bed, with a lamp on a bedside table, a single pair of bunk beds, a couch, and a cluttered coffee table.  

“Charming,” Rhys droned as the rest of them entered. 

“Hey, it has  _ beds _ ,” Sasha pointed out. 

“And a roof. And walls. I like it,” Vaughn agreed. Rhys rubbed his forehead as Fiona tested out the double bed. 

“Sash and I got this; you boys get the bunks,” she declared and Rhys looked to the bunk beds, groaning. 

“Are you kidding? My feet are going to hang so far off the end they’ll probably be on the ground,” he cried. 

“Not if you're on top they won’t,” Sasha pointed out with a grin. 

“You’re evil,” he replied with a scowl. “Both of you.” The sisters laughed as they settled in for the evening.  

  
  


Downstairs in the main combo lobby bar area three others entered through the door. 

“I don’t know why you didn’t just go in,” the woman in the cowboy hat asked as the man behind her pulled his hood tighter around his face. 

“It just - didn’t seem the right time,” he said. 

“Don’t lie, darling, considering your occupation you’re surprisingly terrible at it. You were startled,” the towering woman in blue pulled up the rear of their little party. “I've heard it's a perfectly normal reaction for, ah, the more fragile types.” They found an unoccupied table and settled around it. He leveled her a glare but sighed.

“I didn’t realize we’d actually caught up with them, okay?” he protested as he crossed his arms over the table.  “So how are we going to do this…?” he asked and looked at the two ladies expectantly, heterochromatic eyes barely visible in the shadow of his hood. 

“I dunno, I'd much rather just shoot them and be on our way. I’m already regretting taking this job. You're the talker,” Nisha said.

“Quite, I  _ am _ getting bored,” Aurelia droned. “We've found nothing but corpses and empty loot boxes on this trail so far and it's  _ appalling _ .”

“But-me?” Timothy asked. “They're gonna freak out when they see  _ me _ .”

“They’ll freak out if they recognize any of us,” Nisha pointed out. “So you'd better figure out what you have to say fast, because if they start shooting you can sure as hell bet I will too,” Nisha replied and Timothy groaned.

  
  


Elsewhere on Pandora, in one of countless bandit strongholds, August evaluated the newest bunch of weapons Stacey had repaired and modified. He hefted one of them, trained the sites, and fired. The cans lined up down range went flying and August lowered the rifle, tilting it a bit and studying it. 

“Kicks like a mule,” he said and the much shorter woman with close cropped blonde hair crossed her arms at him. 

“Best I can do with the crap your minions keep finding me,” Stacey said and he arched an eyebrow at that. “The Children of Helios brought me better stuff.” 

“You wanna go back you’re free to go,” he replied but she shrugged.

“It’s more fun here. I’m just saying,” she said with a smirk and a wave at the gun as he set it down on the bench with the others. “The Children of Helios are former  _ Hyperion _ : they know what to look for. Your bandits are all brawn and no brain.”  

“My people know guns. We’ve been doin’ this our entire lives,” he said. “You’re just picky,” he remarked, jabbing a finger at her, at which she shrugged even more. “Besides, you didn’t  _ want _ to keep workin’ for ‘em,” he said as he leaned back on the table. “ _ Please, let me come with you, _ ” he mimicked in an awful high pitched mockery of her voice. Stacey rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully. “ _ They hate me here _ ,” he continued. “ _ I can help you. _ ” 

“Stop it,” she laughed. 

“ _ That awful woman’s out to get me, _ ” he persisted unable to keep the shit eating smirk from his face as he put aside the rifle and drew Stacey closer. “ _ Take me in your big strong arms. _ ”  

“I do not sound like that,” Stacey protested with an indignant laugh as she let him bring her into his embrace with only a few small slaps against his chest. 

“Yea, you kinda do,” August said but she just scrunched up her face in protest as she leaned against him. 

“Well, I don’t - with Yvette in charge -” she started and stopped. “Let’s just say, it’s not the most  _ comfortable _ situation for me there,” she finished and he snorted. 

“Yea, I bet,” he said. “So what do you want me to do? Boss Lady got pissed and terminated our deal when you left. I suggested we partner up and let you at the scrap they scavenge. She said no and I didn’t like the odds of startin’ a fire fight in enemy territory.”

“She’s just mad because we’re gonna charge them for stuff they made me do for free, babe,” Stacey said, looking up at him. “Don’t let her intimidate you.”

“I’m not intimidated, just didn’t think it wise to  _ push _ ,” he retorted.

“Fair enough,” she replied, pulling away a bit. “Besides, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” she said, running a finger along the rifle he’d just put back. “You never told me what was in that Vault,” she said, looking up at him. August dropped one of his arms from around her and shrugged. 

“I never went in,” he said. “Fiona and your buddy Rhys were the only two that did and look how that turned out.” Her face involuntarily scrunched up and shuddered at the name, making August study her closely with interest, but she shook it off.

“That doesn’t strike you as odd?” she asked, moving away to lean back on the table.

“Lady, there wasn’t a single goddamn thing about that whole mess that wasn’t  _ odd _ ,” he replied. She nodded her head slightly in agreement, a smile cracking across her face. 

“It’s just that - I’ve been hearing some… interesting things,” she said carefully retraining her smile into something smaller. He arched a brow at her again as he looked down at her. 

“Who else do you even  _ talk  _ to?” he asked and she shrugged dismissively.

“I just heard our friends are on the trail of  _ another  _ Vault - when they haven’t even taken advantage of the Vault they already have,” she said, shaking her head emphatically. At that, August's face settled into something more serious as he regarded her closely, and she leaned back towards him, smirking.

  
  


The familiar violet haze still lingered at the edges of his vision and the maniacal laugh still rang in his ears when Rhys jolted awake. His collar buzzed against his neck but otherwise remained quiet as the light from his marks glowed warmly, illuminating the top bunk in the darkness. 

Running a hand through his hair, Rhys swallowed roughly. His feet indeed dangled off the edge of the bunk and he looked between them at the sisters sound asleep on the bed. Taking a steadying breath he swung his feet around and quietly lowered himself to the ground, glancing at the lower bunk to see Vaughn still asleep as well.

As quietly as he was able, Rhys tiptoed out of the room. The main room downstairs was dark too, some stranger snoozing hunched over a table and the innkeeper nowhere in sight. Rhys pushed open the door and stepped out into the night. He sighed as the cooler night air soothingly hit the sweat on his skin. 

A whistle from behind him and off to the side startled him, making him jump and spin around. A woman in a cowboy hat leaned against the wall of the building, regarding him curiously. “You really do glow, don't you?” she asked. It didn't take long to see the dual pistols at her hip and the menacing smirk as she slid between him and the door.

“Uhh, haha, yea I - it’s a skin condition,” he sputtered. “I'm just gonna-” he added, pointing over his shoulder as he backed away. “Get some air. Bye,” he said and spun back around, briskly walking away. She was saying something else but he couldn’t hear it over the roaring in his ears as he darted into an alleyway. 

“Crap, crap, crap,” he hissed, wondering if he could circle back. Surely the inn had a backdoor?

He rounded another corner and for a moment time stopped as brown and gold eyes met blue and green. Even in the dark and partially obscured by a hood, he would have recognized the sharp chiseled features staring back at him anywhere. They could have come to life straight from one of the half dozen posters that’d once adorned the walls of his office on Helios.  

The roaring in his ears suddenly exploded with static, a surge of whispers washed over him, and with a screech Rhys stumbled backwards. His marks flared, bathing entire alleyway, but more importantly the familiar face in front of him, in violet light. The collar beeped furiously, shaking violently at Rhys’ neck as his throat tightened.

“Woah! Hey-hey!” the handsome figure in front of him cried and reached out. Rhys scrambled over himself and sprinted away as echoes of laughter surged in his ears, drowning out almost anything else except-

“-back here, kiddo!”  

And Rhys found an extra spurt of energy with a wail and headed back to the inn, not even noticing the woman in the cowboy hat had disappeared. He swung the door open with such force that it hit the wall and rebounded, slamming shut behind him mere moments after he hurried inside.

Back in the alley Timothy slapped his own forehead and cursed at himself before following.

Meanwhile, Rhys burst into the room they’d rented. The door hit the bunk and Vaughn awoke with a startled yelp as he reflexively rolled into the wall away from the impact while Rhys crossed the room to shake the girls awake.

“Get up-get up-gah-we gotta go-get outta here-” Rhys wheezed in a rush. “It's Jack - oh my god - it's Jack,” he rambled, hustling Sasha off the bed.

“Wait, what?” she muttered, quickly shaking free of the hold of sleep. “Jack’s dead, Rhys,” she said, her eyebrow arching skeptically, though she frowned in concern.

“It's not - he's not - I  _ saw _ him, and this scary lady with a cowboy hat and two guns and - shit, just get  _ moving  _ already!”

“Rhys, are you sure it wasn’t just another bad dream, bro?” Vaughn asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Rhys leveled him a very still, serious stare. 

“Vaughn, bro, I have never been more serious in my life,” he said levelly. “I woke up, went for some air, and ran into Jack in an alleyway.”

“Wait - gunslinger with a cowboy hat?” Fiona asked as she straightened her clothes. “You mean the Sheriff of Lynchwood? Handsome Jack's girlfriend? Also very  _ dead _ ?”

“Oh for the love of - right, of course that would make sense - I'm telling you: they're  _ here _ ! Outside!” Rhys implored and Vaughn was rubbing his face.

“Okay, okay, why don't we just go take a look?” he suggested, smoothing his beard before putting his glasses on. 

“Take your gun,” Rhys said, pointing to the rifle. “Take everything. We need to be ready to  _ run _ , okay?” he said looking at the others.

“Alright, alright,” Fiona said and soon enough they'd gathered their things and headed down the stairs.

Just in time to see the hooded doppelgänger of Handsome Jack and the former sheriff of Lynchwood walk through the door.

“There! Right there! You can’t  _ tell me  _ you don’t see them! Believe me now?” Rhys yelled and pointed wildly.

“Holy shit,” Vaughn yelped and the sisters grabbed both of the former Hyperion employees and dragged them out the back door. 

“Okay, this is insane,” Sasha said as they sprinted to the buggy. 

“This is - this can't be happening,” Rhys was muttering. “This can't be  _ real _ ,” he said in a tight voice and gave a strangled laugh as he hopped in the passenger seat with Sasha beside him revving the engine. Fiona climbed onto the mounted gun as Vaughn clamored into the other back seat.

“We're in,” he said. “Go, go!” Sasha didn't need him to say it twice before they were peeling away from the inn. Something glinted on the rooftops.

“Up there,” Sasha pointed out and Fiona was already moving to aim the mounted gun.

“I see it,” she said, but before she could pull the trigger a sniper round rang out in the night and she had to duck as it ricocheted against the gun.

  
  


Aurelia took another shot from her vantage point, much lower this time. The hilly road and buildings made the shot difficult. Tim scrambled up beside her.

“What are you doing?!” he yelled. “We need to talk to them, not kill them!” 

“I'm trying to  _ stop them _ , dear. If I’d wanted to kill them, they’d be dead,” she replied, adjusting her aim again, leading a bit more and shooting. “Haha! I am a spectacular shot,” she proclaimed and lowered her rifle. 

“Wha-”

“Tire, darling,” she said, patting Timothy on the shoulder. “They'll have to pull over and change it. We should get a move on if we don't want to lose them  _ again _ ,” she instructed, hopping down from one level to another.

“Oh…” Timothy replied as he followed and they joined Nisha on the ground. 

“No fair,” Nisha said, eying the sniper and putting her hands on her hips. 

“Don’t make that face, darling, or it’ll stick,” Aurelia said as she passed her and Nisha let out a bark of laughter before following. 

Staring after them Timothy could only shake his head and stare with wide eyes.

“I did not miss this. I did not miss this one bit.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I was planning on completing this WHOLE STORY before posting it, but since it's been uh quite some time, and I got a bit of motivation back (thanks commenters - seriously never underestimate your power. it is because of one of YOU that i'm updating) I decided to go ahead and post it as it comes. I've got an outline and implemented some new requirements that I think should help stave off the issues I was concerned about in regards to posting a chapter at a time, but we shall see. The next chapter is mostly finished, but then I have some heavy lifting to do on the following ones. But I'm working on it again! So yay! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and that the rest does not disappoint!


End file.
